Concerts take place on Tuesday lunchtimes during the university semester starting at 1:15. Concerts and recitals are performed by a mix of invited professionals and students, and encompass a range of musical genres, instruments.voices and ensembles.
They are designed to be informal concerts to which our staff and students might bring lunch or slip in and out around teaching. However, this means they are an informal concert set up to which we could welcome school groups of all ages, whether primary, secondary, or sixth form college.
Full details of the concert series can be found here.
If you are intending to bring a student group we'd be grateful if you could let us know in advance by emailing katherine.butler@northumbria.ac.uk. Please direct any questions to the same address.
We offer 'ringing in schools' programmes led my our music students. Mentored by university staff, students lead a series of ringing workshops over an agreed period of time leading to a culminating performance either in school or with the university team on campus
Handbell ringing is a great way to make music together as a team. With every participant just having one or two bells, everyone must work together to make music.it's simple enough to get everyone ringing a tune in minutes - even non music readers - but complex enough to provide a challenge even for talented young musicians.
Activities can be tailored to any year and any ability group (including mixed).
Contact katherine.butler@northumbria.ac.uk for more information and to discuss options.
Our Junior Evolve subject programme might be for you!
Our student ambassadors design and deliver 50-minute subject session in schools in the North East area. Currently available sessions are:
Misconceptions and English
Misconceptions and English will encourage students to think about common misconceptions, both in terms of English literature (such as Frankenstein’s monster being green) and more broadly (such as lightning not striking the same place twice). The session includes a quiz and a choice of creative or factual writing activity. The idea of misconceptions will be written about and questioned, ending with a discussion to highlight the misconceptions about English degrees and career paths. Throughout the session, pupils will be encouraged to work both independently and in groups, which are valuable skills for university learning. This presentation will encourage the study of English in its many forms, including literature, linguistics, and creative writing. (Suggested level: GCSE-level)
Animal Music!: Saint- Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and Musical Representation
This interactive workshop gets students thinking about how music can represent and evoke the natural world. First we’ll explore some examples from Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and thinking about how composers can use musical features such as dynamics, rhythm, timbre, register and tempo. Then participants will work in groups create and perform their own pieces of music based on an animal. The session closes with some brief reflections on how the analytical, historical and creative aspects of today’s workshop reflect the kind of learning music students do at university. (Suggested level: Year 9)
The Mystery of History
This is a history based academic session designed to give students an insight into what it is like to study history at university. The session is based on the assassination of John F. Kennedy and forces students to develop their critical thinking skills by analysing key information about the aftermath of the assassination. The session is designed to push students into creating cohesive arguments based on the evidence available to them, as well as focusing on the provenance of source material. This is a vital skill for stepping into higher education. (Suggested level: Year 10/11)
To find our more or book a session email: Bc.pre16outreach@northumbria.ac.uk
As part of his British Academy-funded project, Speaking Of Prejudice: Examining implicit and explicit language attitudes in England, Dr Robert McKenzie has produced resources for teachers and students of AS and A level English language on Variation and language attitudes in England/the UK.
These resources are relevant to:
These resources are free to download here:
Sessions bookable via the Laing Gallery
These study sessions are designed to help English pupils explore the collection and use art to enrich their understanding of language, literature and creative writing.
The workshops build on a successful pilot project run between Northumbria University and the Laing, completed in 2017 funded by Arts Council England, and followed by a further 2-year research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The project was led by Dr. Claudine van Hensbergen at Northumbria University, and by Anne Fountain at the Shipley and Laing Art Galleries. For more information on the project please visit the project website.
Workshops are delivered collaboratively by Northumbria academic staff, postgraduate students and the Laing’s Learning Team. KS4-5 pupils will benefit from working with English scholars and professional writers as they develop their skills in an inspirational gallery setting.
Workshop topics are flexible and can be tailored to a given group’s needs, and may draw on permanent displays and/or temporary exhibitions. Previous workshops have included: sessions developing close-analysis skills through comparative study of art and texts; creative written responses to art in the collections; sessions using art to develop contextual knowledge around a KS4/5 set text.
Further details and booking via the Laing Gallery.
Liberating Histories is a three-year AHRC project that analyses UK feminist magazines from 1968 onwards. Using these magazines, the project team has developed a range of resources and workshops for schools that are designed to support the study of GCSE and A-Level English Literature. Resources on Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, as well as other useful materials, can be accessed and downloaded at https://liberatinghistories.org/resources/the-handmaids-tale/
Dr Adam Hansen presents this video lecture on Shakespeare's Macbeth and Class.
This session explores Shakespeare's Macbeth in detail, locating the text in its socio-historical context (with a particular focus on 'status' or class), and suggesting ways we can see and hear the concerns of that context when we closely analyse the language of the play.
There are two accompanying handouts:
Contact: Dr Adam Hansen adam.hansen@northumbria.ac.uk
We're holding a History and English Taster Day for sixth form students on3 May 2024
There will be a range of different interactive sessions for students to pick from encompassing history, English literature, English language and creative writing led by our academics to give you a taste of what it's like to study at university. There will also be chance to explore the campus and ask questions about studying at university and making an application.
Find out more about the sessions available here.
To reserve places, teachers can sign up group here.
Teachers will then be sent a link for students to sign up individually and choose their sessions. (Closing date is 26 April).
The Byrd 400: Reasons to Sing project, funded by Arts Council England, is now able to offer opportunities for a new further schools in Newcastle and the surrounding area to take part.
The project is designed for Year 8 pupils and offered to schools for free. The project a series of professional led workshops (some Zoom, some in person) using Tudor composer William Byrd’s ‘Reasons to Sing’ as an opportunity to explore Tudor history and music and using it as lens to reflect on music and wellbeing today. It’s a great opportunity for schools to have workshops led by professional musicians (Horizon Voices - who are also themselves teachers) and to attend and perform a specially commissioned work by Kerry Andrews inspired by Byrd’s Reasons to Sing in a live professional concert with leading early music ensemble Stile Antico (that will also be free for families to attend). The programme will be taking place in the North East in Jan -March 2024 (exact dates to be agreed).
Download the Schools Flyer for more details.
To express interest or find out more, contact Dr Katherine Butler on katherine.butler@northumbria.ac.uk as soon as possible and before the end of July 2023.
To view past Events click here.
If you have a query unrelated to a specific event, please contact studentrecruitment@northumbria.ac.uk in the first instance.
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